Chapter 264
Chapter 264: This is a Life-or-Death Battle. (1)
Ghislaine suddenly shouted at the dazed people.
“Wake up! Quickly take down the surrounding monsters!”
The battle was still ongoing. Some of the monsters facing the soldiers were turning and charging toward the enemies behind.
Knights and hunters shook off their stupor and attacked the monsters around them. However, they didn’t look too well.
‘What’s going on? Why am I spitting out blood when I haven’t even been attacked?’
‘Did I get hurt somewhere without realizing it?’
‘How am I supposed to deal with the monster charging at me now?’
Worry was running rampant. They were even questioning whether they should escape now.
Slash!
Kaor quickly cut down a monster approaching Ghislaine and exclaimed urgently,
“My Lord! Are you scared? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
Kaor felt slightly anxious too. He had seen symptoms like this once before.
It was when they captured the Blood Python. At that time, Ghislaine had spent a lot of energy and fainted for over a day.
‘Damn! Is it similar to that time? Did he exert too much strength?’
However, the situation was a little different from then. Back then, he had entered the Blood Python’s body and been affected by its poison.
Right now, it looked like he was just a person who had exhausted all his stamina from running wild.
Not knowing Ghislaine’s exact abilities or the penalties he faced when using his strength made it difficult to assess how dangerous the situation really was.
Still, seeing all the spears that had been flying around fall to the ground made it clear he must have used all his power.
Ghislaine wiped the blood from his face and said,
“I’m feeling a lot of pain right now.”
“…Then what do we do about the one charging at us?”
“You catch it. You can take it down alone.”
“How am I supposed to take down something like that on my own?!”
“Are you scared again?”
“I’m not scared!”
“Then go and fight. You can definitely do it. There’s no time. Move!”
“Graaaar!”
Boom! Wham! Bang!
The Twin Head Ogre cleared other monsters aside and approached them closely.
The knights and hunters also pulled back in fear.
“Damn, what do we do about that?”
“Don’t we all need to swarm it?”
“What about the surrounding monsters? If we only focus on that one, we’ll end up getting hit hard!”
The Ogre was a monster that couldn’t be confidently taken down even with dozens of knights attacking it. It’s called the king of the forest and mountains for a reason.
Its immense strength and speed were such that a single hit could leave even a decent knight with shattered bones.
The Twin Head Ogre was smarter than a regular ogre and much larger in size.
If all the knights and hunters present attacked together, they could potentially take it down, but at the cost of losing over half of them.
When everyone was scared, someone needed to step up and fight bravely.
Ghislaine, having spat blood, fell to his knees. That meant it was time for the next strongest person to step up.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Kaor.
“W-Why are you looking at me?”
Kaor panicked. He himself didn’t have the confidence to defeat that kind of monster alone.
“GRAAAAR!”
The Twin Head Ogre was right in front of them now. Even other monsters were fleeing from its overwhelming presence.
“Cough!”
Ghislaine coughed up blood again and said to Kaor,
“Hurry! You’re the only one who can stop that thing!”
Kaor’s eyes wavered. It was the first time he had seen a Lord display such weakness. It felt unbelievable.
His heart softened. A Lord who seemed as solid as steel, who wouldn’t fall, was asking him for help.
In his life, he had rarely received such expectations from anyone, let alone from someone as strong as a Lord.
As a man, he couldn’t betray this expectation.
“Don’t worry! Leave it to me!”
“GRAAAAR!”
Boom!
The Twin Head Ogre swung its massive club.
KABOOM!
Kaor raised his greatsword to block the club. The Ogre’s strength was so great that he almost lost grip of the sword.
“Gah!”
Taking that enormous impact felt like his insides were churning. He couldn’t win through strength; Kaor decided to rely on speed and retreated.
Boom!
“Ugh!”
But the following attacks were too fast. How could something so massive be so quick?
KABOOM!
He barely blocked it again, but this time he was sent flying backward. The force and speed were unbelievable.
Kaor thought this might be it, that he could die this time.
‘But I can’t let that happen!’
Aside from Ghislaine, he was the strongest here. If it wasn’t him, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.
Ghislaine seemed to have internal injuries. To fight that monstrous Ogre, they needed space. He had to get Ghislaine to safety first.
Kaor turned, shouting loudly.
“My Lord! You need to retreat! Everyone should take the Lord and—”
“Hey, hey, hey! Since Kaor took on the Ogre, everyone focus on clearing the surrounding monsters! Move quickly!”
KABANG! KABANG! KABANG!
Before long, Ghislaine wielded his greatsword and started knocking away the surrounding monsters. The knights and hunters released sighs of relief, concentrating back on the battle.
Kaor had been forgotten by everyone.
“…What the hell?”
Ghislaine had already dropped his core to the second level for the fight. He could no longer maintain the third level.
Of course, he could still face the Twin Head Ogre at the second level, but he was deliberately choosing not to.
This time, Kaor had to handle it himself.
“Hey! If you’re okay, the Lord should just—”
Kaor couldn’t finish his sentence. The Twin Head Ogre didn’t give him a moment’s pause and kept attacking.
KABOOM!
“Grah!”
Each time he blocked, his body was pushed back. Blocking wasn’t enough; he had to fight while dodging.
The space behind him was empty as the others had cleared it out. Kaor retreated back.
“GRAAAAR!”
The Twin Head Ogre charged at him without any intention of letting him escape.
“Damn… What am I supposed to do about that…?”
The Twin Head Ogre charged with its club raised, looking even more threatening due to its massive size.
Kaor felt panic creeping in without him even realizing it.
Boom!
The Twin Head Ogre’s club came crashing down, and Kaor barely managed to dodge it with sheer concentration.
Slash!
Kaor’s greatsword sliced into the side of the Twin Head Ogre. It was filled with mana, but its remarkably tough skin barely gave way.
In fact, it only fanned the flames of the Ogre’s rage.
“KRAAAK!”
Boom!
With the following rapid attacks, Kaor found himself unable to evade. He hurriedly lifted his sword to block, but his stance was thrown off.
KABOOM!
“Gah!”
Having been struck once, Kaor was sent flying and tumbled across the ground. He stood no chance.
‘Ah, no. I can never win.’
The poison or anything else—it only worked if the opponent was manageable.
In truth, he had been overly confident and full of spirit. Fighting alongside strong allies, he felt no fear.
Ghislaine was a monster in his own right, and the rest of the party was the same. Gillian and Belinda were strong enough to hold their own anywhere, and Vanessa, while conditionally limited, was the most destructive force in the territory.
He had relied on his strong allies to fight the powerful enemies, and without realizing it, his poison had dwindled and he’d grown complacent.
And now, facing brutal reality, he felt a sudden rush of fear.
Boom! Boom!
The Twin Head Ogre’s attacks showed no signs of stopping. Kaor tried to maintain distance, shouting as he ran.
“My Lord! I can’t win! You have to deal with a monster like that!”
Suddenly, Ghislaine’s voice echoed in his ears.
— If you want to grow, you must risk your life and fight to win.
“Damn it! I fought against Doncard with my life on the line and won!”
— That won’t do. This is a true fight for your life.
“My skills can’t handle this! Help me out!”
— To grow one step further, you must overcome a situation where no one will help you and you can rely on no one.
“This is just a death sentence! What am I supposed to do against an unbeatable foe!”
— You can win. I’m entrusting this to you because you can win.
“Damn it! How the hell am I supposed to do that!”
— You’re weaker now than you were before meeting me. You need to realize that for it to have any meaning.
Ghislaine fell silent after those words. Kaor, cursing to himself, busied himself dodging the Twin Head Ogre’s attacks.
Anger, frustration, fear, and humiliation—various emotions consumed him.
Yet despite that, one thought lingered in his mind.
‘I am weak right now.’
His abilities had indeed increased, but he felt weaker than ever. He was aware of what Ghislaine had pointed out.
It wasn’t a matter of physical strength. The “Mad Dog of the North” poison that had once burned strong within him had faded to almost nothing alongside Ghislaine.
He didn’t need to fight like a stubborn fool risking his life anymore. He had many strong companions by his side.
Having strong allies isn’t a bad thing. Relying on each other isn’t bad. That’s what comrades are for.
But believing in them and becoming complacent was a problem. All that was left was his dirty temper.
‘Damn it, how did I end up like this…’
He had felt it when fighting Doncard—he was the type to get bored easily and grow complacent. He would only respond when problems stared him in the face.
His adaptability had allowed him to survive until now.
But the moment an insurmountable problem appeared, his mental state began to crumble.
Kaor bit his lip. He had carried that poison with him to survive alone since the tough days of his childhood.
But now, having fallen into a life of comfort, even that small advantage had slipped away.
‘I’ll kill him.’
Kaor clenched his teeth. A killing intent glimmered in his eyes.
This was different from the frustration of feeling he’d lose against Doncard. The Twin Head Ogre was an opponent he could only defeat by prepared for death.
This was the true fight for his life.
KABOOM!
The Twin Head Ogre’s club clashed with Kaor’s greatsword for the first time in direct confrontation.
Kaor’s face contorted in pain. He was still being forced back, but the momentum felt drastically different compared to earlier.
‘Today is my last fight.’
He held that resolve sincerely. With that mindset, he swung his greatsword.
Bang! Bang!
He dodged wherever he could, and wherever he couldn’t, he blocked. Kaor’s body became increasingly marked with injuries.
Each time he blocked, he found himself thrown back and rolling on the ground. Even when he managed to land a hit, he couldn’t inflict a lethal wound.
Instead, it only fueled the Ogre’s anger.
“KRAAAAR!”
The mere roar threatened to burst his eardrums. Kaor gritted his teeth and charged in again.
KABOOM!
The club and greatsword collided, sending Kaor’s greatsword flying back. Before he could regain his stance, the club raced toward him.
Kaor hastily raised his arms to block the incoming blow.
KABOOM!
SMASH!
“Gah!”
Just one hit shattered the arm that was wrapped in mana. The shock didn’t dissipate and spread throughout his body.
He felt blood trickle from his mouth, possibly due to internal injury from the shock.
At this point, he should really consider running or giving up. But instead, Kaor only gritted his teeth harder.
His eyes sparkled with madness.
“Die!”
He gave up on defense. Kaor poured most of his mana into his greatsword, determined to either win or die trying.
Putting all his focus solely on attacking, his sword finally cut deeply into the Ogre’s tough skin.
Ka-zash!
The greatsword sliced open the Twin Head Ogre’s chest, sending an immense amount of blood spraying forth.
“GRAAAAAR!”
The Twin Head Ogre let out a scream in pain that it had never experienced before. It began swinging its club wildly.
Boom! Boom!
As the monster’s movements got larger, it became easier to dodge the attacks. Kaor began to retreat again, looking for openings.
He emptied his mind of all thoughts. He repeated only the simple acts of dodging, blocking, and attacking.
‘The wall…’
At some point, the Twin Head Ogre appeared in his eyes like a gigantic wall that had always blocked his way.
A wall that was impossibly solid and huge, unbreakable and unpassable.
As he risked his life, his poison flared back to life. With the poison rising, his fear disappeared.
Now a single thought occupied his mind.
‘I will break through that wall.’
With that singular determination, Kaor forced his heavy body to keep moving.
KABOOM!
The wall showed no signs of even being scratched. That’s how it felt.
KABOOM!
He tried again, but the wall remained steadfast as ever.
As if to say, “You will never overcome me,” it stood proudly.
“Hah hah hah.”
Kaor laughed. It didn’t matter anymore whether he broke through that wall or not. What mattered was that he was moving toward it at that very moment.
But did this actually mean anything?
KABOOM!
No. It was nothing more than a meaningless struggle.
KABOOM!
Still, he didn’t stop. This was all he had left. He could throw away his life now. All he had was the determination to continue without stopping.
Once again, Ghislaine’s voice echoed in his mind.
— I’ve taught you everything you were missing.
— You have gained some understanding, albeit rudimentary.
— You simply lacked the time and experience to internalize it.
— Now, gather everything into one. Given your current self, it is possible.
— If you do, you can create your own path.
Boom!
The basics of swordsmanship that Ghislaine had taught him.
With that teaching, the sword extended outward.
It felt as though the realm he caught a glimpse of during his fight with Doncard was rising again.
But it was a bit different from that time. The sensations he’d gained from real battles and the awareness he’d acquired while risking his life layered upon the swordsmanship he’d learned from Ghislaine.
Swoosh.
The sword path changed.
It was the realization Kaor had obtained through risking his life. It was neither orthodox nor adaptable, but rather his own unique blend of understanding.
And it sought out the one weakness in the wall.
Swipe.
‘I cut it…’
The wall still stood strong. But Kaor’s sword left a long scar along its surface.
The scarred wall was no longer invulnerable. Although it might only be a minor scratch now, it could one day be the key to breaking down the wall.
Boom!
As the illusory wall vanished, Kaor’s consciousness returned to reality.
Before his blood-soaked figure was a sight that met his eyes.
The Twin Head Ogre, now headless, was slowly collapsing to the ground.
